Museum object · Clothing - Fashion and Historical
Brown handbag with amber handle from Mae's Millinery Shop
1941-1994
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
Source catalog description
This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.
Small brown frame bag with a plastic amber handle and a single metal clasp top closure. The oblong bag is faced in a dark brown knit and lined with brown synthetic lining material. A coin purse made from the brown lining with a top closure is attached to the interior of the bag with a metal chain. There are two (2) open pockets on one side of the interior and one (1) zippered pocket on the other side of the interior. The half-oval handle attaches to one top edge of the bag with metal decorative screws. The metal clasp closure is at the center top of the bag and is a decorative finial style. An ivory fabric designer label with gold and black embroidered text is adhered to the interior of the purse that reads: "M [gold] M [black]".
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Sources & collection details
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — original record ↗
Catalog metadata · CC0 · Source checked 2026-10-13
Catalog reference: 2016.48.90
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